The Surfer is one of my favorites, and I sort of grew up reading his books and his comics. I remember starting with the Steve Englehart run. But I don't really think that the Surfer has many (If at all.) standout classic stories or comics the same way that Batman, Spider-Man or The X-Men do. I really liked the Englehart run at the time that I read it (I think that I started with #15.), and I consider him and Starlin to be more or less the architects of the cosmic characters. Sadly, it doesn't seem that most of those cosmic characters are used now, it seems to mostly be about Thanos and Galactus. I also liked the Ron Marz run (I read most of it.), but again, I don't think that there are any standout issues or classics. I guess that Starlin's Thanos arc would be a classic. I also really dug the Dematties run, but it seems like not many other people did.

I read that Requiem is one of his best. It was written by JMS and it had really good art. I have read some scans of it here and there, and I quite liked it. The only real part that I read was the parts with Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Again, it was really good. I want to read it in trade, but unfortunately I can't find it anywhere. What do you guys think of it? I know that the Dan Slott run has been widely acclaimed, but it's too soon to tell if it will be classic.

Thanks.

Requiem is a really well done story. The character work is handled exceptionally well. A classic.. though I am thankful it is out of continuity.

As for classic stories...

That is sort of hard. He is more about the character than the story. I have always felt that in the 60s that series was sort of the Vertigo of its day.

I'm not sure I could rattle off stuff like say... the Phoenix Saga for X-Men or Kraven's Last Hunt for Spider-Man. You know, things that everyone will love.

I can say the stories I find very memorable:

-The first six issues of the original series may be some of the best comics of the Silver Age. My personal favorites are issues #3 and 5
- The Lee Kirby Graphic Novel.
-The Judgement Day Graphic Novel
-The story in Epic #1.
-Silver Surfer: Parable
-There was a MArvel Fanfare that had the original plans for Englehart's run
-Englehart's run is really good. It is also fairly cohesive flow, if I remember. I love them all, he really brought his A-game. His dealing with the Kree-Skrull war, is about as close as you may get to a "classic" story.
-His dealings with Thanos are probably the most well remembered. Leading into Infinity Gauntlet and all, and it is well done. Probably the most reprinted. It stresses the humanity of the Surfer in the face of nihilism
-Issues #97-100, a look at Surfer in the face of temptation. I always felt there were shades of the Phoenix tales in it, myself.
-The story in the early 100s where he faces trial for aiding Galactus, might be the kind of thing you mean
-Dematteis run is pretty goo, even if he hd to spend time cleaning up Perez weird Zenn-La retcon (which may have been kicked down from above). The idea of the idea of him being used for messianic purposes seems pretty "classic" to me.